Spring: Love is a Monster

This turned out to be much sweeter, much more touching than I had first anticipated. Though the film takes a good half an hour to get into its stride it really is worth the slight uneasy feeling you may have when Evan first gets to Italy and you're wondering if it's going to turn into something akin to the Hostel series, but thankfully this is as far away from that kind of horror as possible.

At it's core the film is a dark, fairy-tale like horror romance but it keeps itself grounded in ways that are really satisfying and could only be possible in the world of independent cinema because if someone else, other than Benson & Moorhead, had made the film it could've easily turned into one of those slick, Hollywood style fantasy movies with lots of leather, low-key lighting, vivid colours and fast editing. The film does have very dark moments, horrifying moments, but they're handled with a certain amount of grace and elegance that I wasn't expecting and you will enjoy this film more than you think you might.

The lead actors are great. Lou Taylor Pucci's portrayal of Evan is wholly convincing, his character could've run the risk of being entirely forgettable but he's sweet and charming and highly likable. Nadia Hilker has been working in German television for about 5 years, this is her first feature film, and I have to say I'm a little bit in love with her. The personality she gives to a character that could easily have fallen into the realms of utter cliché is really, really refreshing.

A slightly twisted, supernatural companion piece to Before Sunrise? maybe, maybe not. But definitely something different, at least.

What a great little film. Once you get to the third act and you have all of the details, you pretty much know how it's probably going to end, but it doesn't matter. The fantastical premise serves a backdrop for a really fantastic human story, one that is pretty much interested in dialogue over plot. I first saw Lou Taylor Pucci in Evil Dead and thought he was so great in it. He has such an effective naturalism that is present here throughout. A nice surprise of a film, even if not without its flaws. I definitely will try to recommend this to people and try to put the word out there, I feel like it could gain a really strong fanbase if it got seen more.

This is an awesome movie. I really didn't know what to expect when I went into it, because I'd gone in blind based on the strength of "The Endless" and "Resolution". I was not expecting a love story from the two that made those other films, but they pulled it off. Benson and Moorhead not only have something to say (and something worth listening to), but they also have an incredible amount of range. I'll be sure to watch anything else that comes from this team, as I've been consistently impressed with their work. See this film, see their other films, and watch for films from them in the future!

I watched this movie without any expectations and was more than satisfied with it.

The story centers on a man traveling abroad after the death of his mother. By chance he happens to find himself in a very rural seaport town in Italy. A an exotic woman catches his eye and a romance begins. The rest of the tale centers on the young mans romance with the exotic woman, who isn't everything she appears to be and has a horrible secret.

This movie is a slow paced film with just enough gore and pacing to hold my interest. I was very satisfied with the tension and build-up at the closing moment of the film.

I highly recommend this to those who like well developed tension building lovecraftian horror. I'd be interested in watching further productions from this group of film-makers.

A hidden gem and easily one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. The acting, writing and directing are all seamless.

I admit there were moments, such as when our poor protagonist reacts to the truth about his girlfriend, which stretched the bounds of plausibility, but aside from those few scenes the film was incredibly real and fresh throughout.

The film's brand of dry, intelligent humor was a lovely surprise. I buckled in for a thriller and found myself laughing many times instead. I also highly commend the snippets of philosophy, morality, mortality, religion and science which were sprinkled throughout the film and delivered with just the right amount of wit and depth by both actors.

It really is a wonderful blend of romance and sci-fi, and this is coming from someone who loves sci-fi and has a pathological fear of chick flicks. I highly recommend it.